The cart rumbled on while Leif listened to the ox’s clopping hooves and the slow evening of Coltham’s breaths. When he was certain that the immediate danger of upsetting the older man had passed, he reclined in his seat and tucked his arms behind his head.  They had lapsed into a somewhat uneasy silence thickened by the number of thoughts undoubtedly rummaging through Coltham’s mind. Leif studied his face from the corner of his eye - the uneasiness in his gaze, and the way that he seemed to chew on the inside of his cheek, utterly restless.

His emotions were undoubtedly in turmoil, and Leif could only imagine what chaos it would bring should they come across something that tipped him over the edge. He tipped his head back to the sky, watching as feathery clouds drifted by. 

“Still, it would have been a fool’s errand to go it alone,” he said. “Especially when you’re so low on funds that you can’t properly prepare yourself for the journey.”

Coltham jolted beside him, and Leif fixed him with a flat stare. While he had come to realize that Yun-Feians were more of the types who preferred to trade and barter for their wares, lucre was still the optimal way of paying for goods. Yet, he hadn’t seen Coltham take a single coin since the two of them met. He could only wonder how he was keeping himself and his trusted steer fed. 

The thought made his stomach turn but he shrugged his shoulders and asked, “Did you believe I didn’t notice?” 

He doubted that Katarina hadn’t noticed either, and was doing her best to cajole the old man into accepting assistance. Yet, Coltham’s stubbornness was something that was of legend. He was quick to assist others although he would groan and gripe about it to no end - but he would hardly accept anything back. A thought dawned on Leif and he chanced a glance at the old man whose brow seemed to bead with nervous sweat.

“You’ve been refusing payment for ferrying, and if my guess is right, living off the offerings from your neighbors.”

Yun-Feians were quite kind to their own and looked out for one another as if they were all from one family. It was difficult to imagine that they would allow one of their own to go hungry. 

“That must have been difficult,” Leif muttered, hearing the echo of Zopha’s words in the back of his mind. “

“D’ya not have any tact at all, boy?” Coltham bit out, a ruddiness to his tanned skin as he scrubbed a hand through his hair with a little grumble. “A man can’ have his secrets? An’ how were ya to know all of that?”

“ Ididn’t until you just told me,” said Leif cheekily. 

The glare Coltham shot him lacked its usual venom, especially when Leif glanced off to the side and saw some of the watchmen eyeing him but giving a curt bow to the older man. A smile settled on his face when he saw how greatly they respected Coltahm and even seemed endeared to him.

“Sincerely, Mister Coltham, I’m in awe of you,” Leif said, allowing himself to sink against his seat. “For someone who scoffs in the face of rtadition, and rolls his eyes at milk tales, you certainly embody a Hero.”

“Feh,” Coltham spat.

Leif glanced up at him, and saw the reddish tinge to his ears. He nearly laughed but knew that it would press uncomfortably on the old man’s nerves and withheld his mirth for the time being. When the cart rumbled on and neared the gates, Leif sat up in his seat when he noticed a figure dressed in fine, dark clothing seated on a fence post while furiously scribbling something.

He would know that hunched posture and the quill flying across the page almost anywhere. Coltham slowed the cart down when they nearly passed through the gate and Ambriel had yet to look up from his book, so taken with what he was working on. A glance was spared between Coltham and Leif before the latter cleared his throat, and Ambriel finally raised his head.

“Ah,” a spark of mirth illuminated his features and Leif thought that this was surely the face that he hadn’t been able to see when Ambriel had been speaking to him before. “So you’ve finally arrived, it’s good to see you both. Leif, and ah…” Ambriel stared at Coltham with wonder, then pursed his lips as he tapped his quill’s feather against the side of his nose. The longer it took him, the more Coltham’s put-upon expression seemed to deepen and Leif hoped with all his might that Ambriel wouldn’t find himself kicked off the cart before he managed to even board it.

“Mister Coltham,” Ambriel exclaimed, seeming proud of himself in spite of his lack of immediate remembrance. 

Leif rolled his eyes but mustered a smile when he glanced in Coltham’s direction. The old man glanced between the two of them but shook his head. When Ambriel neared the side of the front rest, Coltham grunted, “Oh no y’ don’t, yer riding in th’ back. Don’ need you two bickering when ‘ve got enough on m’ mind already.”

Ambriel gaped, then glanced at Leif as if to ask whether or not Coltham was serious and Leif nodded solemnly in return. The bard sighed, tucking his belongings within his cloak before turning and making his way to the back of the cart. It trembled lightly as he climbed aboard then sat down with a heavy sigh. Leif peeked over his shoulder, seeing Ambriel’s pout as he sat with his back to them and his arm resting upon the wooden chest. 

“Don’ think about singin’ neither,” Coltham cautioned. “Use those shiny pebbles if yer wanting to entertain Leif here.”

Leif almost told him that he didn’t want to listen to Ambriel’s musings either, but then Ambriel turned to look at him with wide eyes and asked - “You told him about the wave stone?”

At first, Leif considered defending himself by saying that he didn’t know it was meant to be a secret. He never knew where Ambriel’s trinkets came from or what the workings of them were until they were thoroughly explained through the bard’s long-winded lectures. Yet, at the same time, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to lie to Coltham so blatantly when the old man caught him using it plainly. Instead, Leif raised his shoulders in a half-hearted shrug and Ambriel’s eyes danced with joy.

“So, what did you think of them?” Ambriel asked, turning on Coltham when he didn’t get an answer out of Leif.

“Huh?” Coltham glanced over his shoulder, seemingly not used to being addressed so blatantly. Or at the very least, he didn’t seem to know what to do with Ambriel’s entire attention placed upon him.

“They’re an artifact that had been recently recovered, I’m sure the technology isn’t common here at all. What do you think it would be good for? Tell me, even the slightest thoughts would be appreciated.”

Coltham slid his gaze to Leif who shook his head and gestured for him to continue on. Once Ambriel was lost to his thoughts, there was little to nothing that would stop him from pursuing his line of thinking. The childlike smile on the bard’s face nearly made Leif laugh as he swarmed Coltham with questions. His voice mingled with the sounds of the Wild as they left behind Yun-Fe, and were embraced by the distant call of insects and birds roosting in the trees they passed. 

“- Er, well I was tellin ‘Leif here that it’d be good for lettin’ folks know when ‘s quittin’ time,” Coltham explained. He scratched his cheek when Ambriel nodded enthusiastically, gesturing for him to go on. “Well, ah…  there’s plenty of farms that’re spread out and we ain’ got much in the way of hands when it comes to watchin’, so it’d be hard to let folks know when it’s time to come in.”

“I see,” Ambriel nodded, pulling back from where he leant against the back rest. His cloak rustled as he pulled out his notebook and turned his back, scribbling furiously in it. Leif would have peeked around to look but he could hardly understand Ambriel’s messy scrawl on a good day. A smile slipped onto his lips when he heard the bard mutteirng under his breath as he was lost to his thoughts again.

“Huh, didn’ think that would actually get him to be quiet,” Coltham mused.

Leif chuckled, “You would be surprised. In many ways, he’s much like a child.”

If Ambriel heard them, he didn’t make any indication of it or seem to mind it very much. Leif considered that it may not have been much of a bad thing otherwise either. After all, children possessed the purest of hearts and they were untethered from feelings of lingering doubt. When he glanced behind, he noticed the way Ambriel’s eyes shone and smiled gently.

If the gods should touch you, it would be a travesty upon the world. 

And he supposed he had to be the one to keep such a thing from happening.